01-08-2015, 09:47 AM
The Regus smiled slightly. Martin was a good man, loyal, dedicated, dependable. Again he saw the open book on his desk.
"No, I would not ask you to give up your seat merely to become a field agent again. But..." he let the word linger for a moment. Barovsky was as close to a friend as he could allow himself to have. After Grigorio and then Jova, he kept his distance from people. Attachment and sentimentality would cloud his thinking. It could ask him to compromise. Father Stone, again. A verse floated to mind. "The heart is deceitful and wicked above all things, who can know it?" He could not risk it, not even of himself.
"Well, we'll get to that shortly. More immediately, at tomorrow's convocation, I would like you and ten men from your Order to be dressed in full regalia when Stone is brought in." He smiled. For the most part, the Holy Order was a secret known only to a few in the Atharim, especially among field agents. It was a calculated risk, revealing its existence. But world would not be saved without risk.
Martin raised an eyebrow, but nodded, which pleased him. "I would also like you to put together a list of Atharim field hunters. The criteria is to be strict. They are to be orthodox and loyal above all. They must be exceptionally proficient with experience in all types of hunts. And they must be Old World Atharim. Our brethren in other lands will be brought more fully into the fold in due time. But for this, I want people I can trust implicitly."
He fixed Martin with a firm gaze and allowed a smile to show. "And of course, I'd like your recommendation for your replacement. I will have need of your skills elsewhere."
"No, I would not ask you to give up your seat merely to become a field agent again. But..." he let the word linger for a moment. Barovsky was as close to a friend as he could allow himself to have. After Grigorio and then Jova, he kept his distance from people. Attachment and sentimentality would cloud his thinking. It could ask him to compromise. Father Stone, again. A verse floated to mind. "The heart is deceitful and wicked above all things, who can know it?" He could not risk it, not even of himself.
"Well, we'll get to that shortly. More immediately, at tomorrow's convocation, I would like you and ten men from your Order to be dressed in full regalia when Stone is brought in." He smiled. For the most part, the Holy Order was a secret known only to a few in the Atharim, especially among field agents. It was a calculated risk, revealing its existence. But world would not be saved without risk.
Martin raised an eyebrow, but nodded, which pleased him. "I would also like you to put together a list of Atharim field hunters. The criteria is to be strict. They are to be orthodox and loyal above all. They must be exceptionally proficient with experience in all types of hunts. And they must be Old World Atharim. Our brethren in other lands will be brought more fully into the fold in due time. But for this, I want people I can trust implicitly."
He fixed Martin with a firm gaze and allowed a smile to show. "And of course, I'd like your recommendation for your replacement. I will have need of your skills elsewhere."